The Emperor's Arrow

Chapter 9: Legate

Yanking the last of her arrows out of the target, Evony walked back to the firing line, behind the last of the soldiers. Her muscles were a trifle tired and her back and neck were slick with sweat just now cooling. It had been nice to get a full workout in.

She stopped once she was level with the archers, watching the man nearest her intently. She could see the way he moved his hands all over as he tried to get the perfect shot and shook her head. Evony moved over and lightly tapped him on the shoulder, startling him so that he almost shot his arrow into the sky.

"Whoa!" she said, holding her hands up. "Watch where you aim."

He flushed. "My apologies, brightness."

"Here.You're focusing too much on the target."

The soldier frowned. "I don't understand."

"Focus on your stance. If your stance is good, the shot will be good. Aiming will follow naturally. You'll be focused on where your body is, meaning you won't be moving around as much which in turn will help your arrow fly truer. It may take a little time to get used to, but it will help."

He looked a little skeptical but seemed to go along with it. Evony could see a few of the nearby soldiers staring at them for a moment then turning their attention back to the targets. More than a few seemed to be resettling themselves, shifting their holds on their bows and readjusting the position of their feet. She nodded her approval before turning back to the man she was focused on.

His spine was rigid, his whole posture screaming discipline. It also didn't look natural or comfortable. "Try a more open stance," she told him. "And while you need to focus on your body's position, don't tighten yourself up too much. You know what happens to a bowstring that's too tight, right?"

He blinked for a moment then offered a half smile. She grinned back and watched him shift again. This time he looked more natural, his whole body more relaxed. She could see him start to chase the target around for a moment, but stopped prior to her saying anything.

His first shot hit only the edge of the target and he turned to look at her. She smiled encouragingly and waved her hands towards the target. He resettled himself and shot again. This arrow was closer, as was the next. By the time he'd emptied his quiver, his shots were all in the three innermost rings.

"It will take more time for it to be natural and for you to be consistent, but continue like you have and you'll do well," she told him after his last arrow thunked into the ring one out from the centre.

"Thank you," he replied, grinning now. His fellows were giving them sidelong looks, a few sidling closer to hear what they were saying.

Evony swallowed a chuckle. She'd make a point of giving advice to someone else next time, now that she seemed to have been accepted at morning practice. Even their officer had asked her to give a demonstration first thing when they arrived.

However, now that she was finally cooler, Evony wanted to get clean. She waved her goodbye, receiving more than a few raised arms in response before she left the training fields. She hurried towards the women's baths, more than ready to wash away the sweat her workout had caused.

* * *

Evony had barely moved away from the doorway to the baths when she was stopped by a man stepping into her path. His greying brown hair over his wide grin was starting to become familiar to her. She offered him a closed fist over her heart. "Legate," she said.

He chuckled. "Must we be so formal, Evony, daughter of Zarina?"

She shrugged, eyeing him. He seemed more relaxed today, though he was dressed the same as he always was. She wondered if he slept with his cuirass on the way she always had at least two of her knives handy. She didn't think he slept with a sword, though she couldn't imagine the armour would be comfortable either.